Naturally, the decision to cut all your hair off isn't an easy one. When I walked in to get mine cut after I graduated high school, I was terrified. I was just about to start college, so most of my fear came from worrying about what other people would think or say about it. This is something short-haired girls deal with constantly: other's opinions. Because it isn't the most popular hairstyle among our fellow ladies, some people tend to judge our chopped locks. So, for those of you who have short hair (or wonder what changes when a girl switches to short hair), this article is for you. Here is a list of 10 common reactions, comments, or assumptions people have about girls with short hair.

1. "So... are you a lesbian?"

This question is asked far too often. First of all, to the people who ask it: what kind of question is this? Is it your go-to conversation-starter or something? Second, this is a prime example of judging a book by its cover. Yes, there are gay women who have very short hair. No, not all gay women actually have short hair. It is quite possible for a woman to cut her hair short simply because she likes the style or wanted to change it up a bit. Keep this in mind before blurting out personal and ridiculous questions.

2. "Aren't you afraid people will get the wrong idea?"

This is the kind of thing that someone takes into account before she actually walks in and gets her hair cut short. We know the assumptions people might make, and it's safe to say that if we still went through with cutting our hair, we could care less what people might assume. This doesn't mean that the comments get annoying sometimes, but that liking the way we look is more important than other people's opinions.

3. "Wow, you're brave. I could never pull that off."

I never know whether to take this as a compliment or get offended. Sometimes, a person could be saying that they admire your courage to stand out and be unique. Other times, they might just mean that the decision to have short hair is too "wild" for them to actually go through with. Who knows? Either way, this comment is more or less taken with a grain of salt.

4. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were a guy."

This comment is one I personally know to take offensively. As a girl with 1. a very curvy and obviously female figure, and 2. bright red hair, I don't understand how this comment would make sense unless it is meant to be insulting. Still, I understand that when it comes to more androgynous women, this can be just an honest mistake.

5. "Guys don't really like it when girls have short hair."

This statement is simply untrue. Every guy has a unique type; for some that might mean they prefer girls with longer hair. For others, girls with shorter hair might be more attractive. Not every person is the same, and it is unfair to assume that short hair ruins a girl's chances to be seen as attractive by the opposite sex.

6. "You're going through a phase."

For this one, I'm just going to sit here shaking my head and wondering why people still think saying this is a good idea.

7. "That's a bit too extreme."

As I've said multiple times in this article, a person's style is his or her own choice. What may be "extreme" for one person may feel natural to another. Style is all about feeling comfortable in your own skin, not projecting your own ideas of what is normal and what is not on others.

8. "Don't you miss having long hair?

This one makes me laugh sometimes. If I go through the trouble to get my hair cut short again when it starts to grow out and continue to maintain it, then it's safe to assume that no, I do not miss having long hair.

9. "You would look so much cuter if you grew your hair back out."

To you, maybe. To those of us with short hair, it's not like we go out of our way to get it cut in a way that makes us look less "cute." If we didn't like the way it made us look, we wouldn't keep our hair short. Simple. We keep it this way because we like the way it makes us look.

10. "Your hair looks so cool!"

I don't want to make it seem like every comment girls with short hair get is negative, because that would be completely incorrect. Though it isn't the most popular hairstyle, it is one that turns heads and gives people the impression that you are unique and creative. Additionally, over the years, more and more female celebrities have abandoned their long tresses for pixie cuts or buzz cuts. Yes, there are definitely some naysayers, but no matter what, we girls love our short hair either way.